Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to examine cross-border issues with NSW
Frustrations are building over delays in crossing the Murray River between Albury-Wodonga, Echuca-Moama and similar centres, with Daniel Andrews promising to examine the problem.
VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews says he will speak with the NSW government about improving travel between cross-border towns.
Frustrations have been raised over delays in crossing the Murray River between Albury-Wodonga, Echuca-Moama and similar locales since the imposition of Victoria-NSW border checks nearly a fortnight ago.
In a press conference today, Mr Andrews said he understood the concerns of cross-border town residents and would seek to improve travel flows for residents.
“I’ll give you this commitment — I get a briefing a couple of times a week (from NSW). I’ll ask for a briefing today on how those checkpoints are going and on whether police and others, ADF (Australian Defence Force) think there’d be benefits in the bubble idea (between border towns).”
Delays of more than 90 minutes were experienced by Albury-Wodonga residents on the first few days of the state border restrictions but the flow of travel has improved somewhat in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Premier has requested all Victorians, including those in the regions, to wear masks in public areas — particularly in settings where social distancing was not practical.
“It’s not compulsory anywhere in the state — it’s simply the Chief Health Officer and myself asking Victorians to do this simple but powerful thing — wearing a mask to slow the spread (of the virus),” he said.
A date is yet to be set for the release of the Victorian state budget, usually promulgated in May.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hand down the national equivalent in October.
The Weekly Times asked the Premier what regional measures would be included in the 2020-21 budget but he said Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas was still working on financial blueprint.
“You’ll see the budget continuing (regional investment) work,” Mr Andrews said.
“So whether it’s in roads, rail, hospitals, schools, further investments in TAFE. There’s a focus towards smaller projects so we can get started quick — so that means not just massive building firms from Melbourne, or even overseas firms, it’s much smaller firms that are taking part in places whether it be regional cities, sub-regional towns or even the smallest of towns, we know the power of that investment — we’ve always been focused on that.
“We know this virus has done enormous damage and it’ll take a long time to rebuild but we’ll have good job policy settings, strong investment.”
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